Complete, intact teeth that are cosmetically desirable, that wear evenly and provide a balanced bite are the objectives of patients. Over time, however, problems arise in teeth due to accidents, deterioration from wear and tear, decay, tooth movement, etc. As a result, teeth may become accidentally chipped or cracked from a variety of causes including normal wear and tear, and weakened from decay due to the mouth hygiene and care practices and/or by consumption of certain foods such as sweets, use of tobacco, disease, medications, certain congenital conditions, and environmental effects. To this end, dental practitioners and their patients have relied on a variety of methods to repair these deformities and weaknesses of the teeth.
The repair of teeth often requires preparation and modification of the exterior shape and size of a tooth to be able to receive various prostheses or restorations such as crowns, inlays, onlays, bridges, and veneers. Also, to prepare the appropriate prosthesis or restoration, either impressions or 3-dimensional scanning must be conducted of the original unmodified tooth and the modified tooth. Dental practitioners often place a temporary prosthesis over the modified or prepared tooth while a permanent prosthesis is manufactured, but the use of such a temporary device and the removal of any cement used to place the temporary device over the prepared tooth may create a discrepancy between the prepared tooth and the internal configuration of the prosthesis.
A need has existed in the art to develop a system for more efficiently and reliably treating the teeth of patients for receiving restorations and other prosthesis.